[jussharp]

https://www.facebook.com/GoodVibrationsPhotography?pnref=story

“I am a mom with a camera and a inspiration to take beautiful pictures.” Well, I guess two out of three isn’t bad….

[jussharp]

For the most part they are technically good. I think you could find compositions and angles that are a bit more compelling, but they aren’t horrible either. I would also study more about light and choosing the best times to take outdoor photos. Generally speaking, early morning and late evening light = good. mid day light = bad. Lastly, when showing your work, eliminate redundant photos. For example, two similar owl photos side by side or a color and b&w version of the same photo isn’t necessary. Only include the photos that are the best. Once you progress farther, you can also start to think about narrowing your efforts to only one or two different genres.

Not a bad start. Keep studying and practicing. Find an experienced mentor (this is so very important. One hour with a good mentor is worth watching 1,000 youtube tutorials).

Finally, if you continue to practice, be prepared to look back at these a year from now and feel horrified. That will be the ultimate sign that you are properly progressing.

[jussharp]

Plonker, after working in the creative arts for the past two decades, I can tell you artistic potential is never fully realized. That’s what keeps us going every day. If an artist ever tells you that they have arrived at the pinnacle of their artistic potential, they are not a true artist. As long as an artist is alive and has breath to create, they will still be reaching for that next artistic vision that will allow them to grow as a better artist.

[jussharp]

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[jussharp]

EyeDoc, I’m not sure if the black background changes things too much:

http://www.imagebam.com/image/72bf84393606238

[jussharp]

The above fauxtog just posted this on her page:

“For the person who put my link and said im rubbish at photography on I am not a photographer site, I am a amateur and do photos for my self as a hobbie and I do fukin not steal anyone’s images and post them of as mine what a load of crap!! Little immature people u have a problem u come and say it to me not post my stuff in a stupid site saying things about me!!!”

If it were my photo page being posted to this site, I would hope that would prompt some introspection and I would try to figure out what I need to do differently instead of being defensive and justifying my poor photography.

[jussharp]

That’s always a huge debate in the world of landscapes. You have a group that is adamant about not overprocessing landscapes and argue for staying at about 30/100 and there are photographers that treat the processing as a major component of the photo. There are very famous and successful landscape photographers who stay at 70/100 and higher.

[jussharp]

Now you have a good start to a portfolio. At this point, I would suggest you read the book “Light, Gesture, and Color” by Jay Maisel once a week for the next 6 months 🙂 That or whatever you need to jump to the next level. Anybody can take photos that look nice and make people happy. The goal is to get to the “wow” photos.

[jussharp]

urkiddingright, that wedding day stop sign is the greatest bad photo. I think that is the photographer subconsciously telling them not to get married.

https://www.facebook.com/tracibrockphotography/photos/pb.203553996369638.-2207520000.1420724123./784284368296595/?type=3&theater

[jussharp]

I would remove the animal and flower photos. There is nothing all that special about them. they are pretty flowers and animals, but pictures of pretty flowers and animals are just that. If you are serious about portraiture, they do nothing for your website. Same for the close up photos. There are some skin tone and lighting inconsistencies with the portraits, but nothing on the fauxtog level. There are also a few issues with poor backgrounds, especially the metal fence. I’m also not a huge fan of the brick wall background. No selective color so kudos to you 🙂 You are on the right track. You need to devote yourself to solid training in lighting, exposure, and all other photo techniques. You also need to go look at a lot of photos of legitimate seasoned professionals and learn what makes a superb photo. Finally, practice, practice, practice!

[jussharp]

I love how you say in your bio that you had a passion for photography since you were “a young kid.” 🙂 You STILL are a young kid. Just kidding.  You have some great shots! Keep shooting and eventually find your one cohesive voice. Most pros find their genre (portrait, landscape, etc) and they develop their style where no matter the photo, you can tell that one individual took that photo. You are on your way.

[jussharp]

I agree with emf. I just wanted to encourage him to alter his perspective to help in some personal and artistic growth. I think there is potential to be quite a good photographer if a few areas are approached differently.

[jussharp]

Here is a bit of friendly advice from someone who has worked in the creative arts for many years that you can take or leave. Be careful not to form your own opinions too early about what is artistically good and what is bad in your own work. This takes years to develop and if you set your mind too early you can impede your own personal growth. To clarify, you should always look at your work and say, “that’s good,” or, “that’s bad.”  Be self critical; however, do not trust yourself implicitly. Those opinions are being informed by a lack of experience. Seek out guidance from those with more experience. If they say there are deficiencies in your work and you need to improve in certain areas, trust them. Even if those criticisms conflict with your idea of whats good. After nearly two decades, I still question my own instincts and seek guidance about my art. Growth never stops.

Second, beware of the simple “that’s good” or “that’s bad” critique. A quality critique always includes “because.” That’s good because… or that’s bad because… Complements should be appreciated but listened to sparingly. I post several of my photos to facebook and get many many complements. If I listened to those, I feel really good, but there is little opportunity there for growth.

Lastly, my impressions of your photos. You seem to fall into the same trap as myself. I prefer colors to really pop so I tend to push the limits of saturation and vibrance. My photo looks really good to me, but then I show a more experienced photographer and they grimace and suggest that I pull back on the post processing. They tell me that a photo should stand on its own with the composition, subject matter, exposure, use of light, etc. Once that is good, I can gently add enhancements that don’t distract from the photo. I walk away sulking and hurt that this experienced photographer did not recognize all of the work that I put into the photos. I think that they didn’t get what the photo was about. After a while, I begin to realize that there is merit in their assessment. The fundamentals of good photography need to be addressed before i try to be an artist and worry about making the colors pop.

Study, learn, practice, practice, practice, seek guidance from a seasoned professional, and be open to not only the good but also the harsh advise.

[jussharp]

I have been contemplating the critiques of my photos. I think the comments about heavy handed processing are very valid. I took one of the photos and did an additional edit and would like to get your feedback. Here is the original edit then the second edit:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jussharp/15858188258/

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jussharp/16058951156/

 

[jussharp]

Thanks for that link. I really like his landscapes. I greatly appreciate the feedback that I received and I tried to put it into practice. Here is a photo I took earlier today. I enhanced the sky (although not too much. It was naturally very dramatic) and I enhanced the barn slightly. Everything else was very minimally edited.

https://www.flickr.com/photos/jussharp/15868379787/

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